11 Actors Who Have Played Charles Manson in Movies and TV (Photos)

No other mass criminal or cult figure in American history has garnered as much fascination within Hollywood and popular culture as Charles Manson. He and his "family" have been the subject of movies, parodies, and he even landed a Rolling Stone cover. "American Horror Story: Cult" had an actor portraying Manson, and Quentin Tarantino is digging up the past for his upcoming movie featuring the Manson Family murders. Here is a sampling of actors who have dared to play the notorious figure.

CBS

Steve Railsback - "Helter Skelter" (1976)
The memory of Manson was still fresh when this TV special based on Vincent Bugliosi's book aired. CBS even made it a two-night special.

ABC

Michael Reid MacKay - "Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys" (1990)
This TV special about the career of the Beach Boys explored Manson's relationship with founding member Dennis Wilson.

Dinsdale Releasing

Marcelo Games - "The Manson Family" (1997)
Officially released in the U.S. in 2004, this dramatization of the Manson Family murders in director Jim Van Bebber's film is seen all through the lens of Super 8 home movies.

Comedy Central

Trey Parker - "South Park" (1998)
Way back in Season 2 of "South Park," Trey Parker had some fun with Manson by having the kids teach him the true meaning of Christmas after he escapes from prison.

CBS

Jeremy Davies - "Helter Skelter" (2004)
This CBS update of their classic "Helter Skelter" shifted more of the focus away from Bugliosi and onto Manson and "family" member Linda Kasabian, with Jeremy Davies playing the cult leader.

Gravitas Ventures

Ryan Kiser - "House of Manson" (2014)
Kiser actually had the "honor" of portraying Manson twice, once in 2009's "Lie" and again in 2014 for "House of Manson." The latter film goes further back into Manson's life leading up to the murder of Sharon Tate and resembles Charles "Tex" Watson's account of events most closely.

NBC

Taran Killam - "Saturday Night Live" (2014)
Remember when news came out that Manson had found love in prison with 26-year-old Star Burton? Who couldn't fall for his beard and "winning smile." And he's only in for income tax fraud!

NBC

Gethin Anthony - "Aquarius" (2015)
The short-lived NBC drama "Aquarius" was set in 1967 and followed two detectives searching for a missing girl who ended up being a Manson recruit.

Lifetime

Jeff Ward - "Manson's Lost Girls" (2016)
Even Lifetime got into the Manson Family story. One of the network's original movies focused on Linda Kasabian and several of the other female members of the family caught up in Manson's spell.

FX

Evan Peters - "American Horror Story" (2017)
In "American Horror Story: Cult" Evan Peters plays a politician who becomes obsessed and inspired by Manson and is eventually possessed by him.

Getty Images/Wikimedia Commons

Damon Herriman - "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019)TheWrap has learned that Damon Herriman was cast in a supporting role to play Manson in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," also starring Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. Herriman is an Australian actor best known for a recurring role on "Justified."